Revolutionary History
Historians have long praised newspapers for the role they played during the American Revolution, but they don’t always zero in on specific papers that were particularly important during this time. Rather, they give deserving praise to all of the press for the help they gave in winning independence. But there are particular newspapers that should be recognized for their individual contributions to American success in the Revolution. Many of them were published in major cities (particularly ports) which meant they had much more access to news from Britain than newspapers in more isolated areas.
Read about this paper in Boston:
Boston Gazette
Leading the list would obviously be the Boston Gazette. Published by Benjamin Edes and John Gill from 1755 to 1775 and then by Edes alone after that, the Boston Gazette was a major source of information about a number of important events leading up to the split from Great Britain. Much of this was because Boston was the center of much of the early conflict between the colonies and Great Britain. Many of the original reports about the arguments over taxes, the Boston Massacre, and the Boston Tea Party first appeared in the Boston Gazette. But the newspaper’s impact went beyond the content of their stories and reflected a growing opposition to the actions of British officials. The Boston Gazette became the primary mouthpiece for Samuel Adams and others who increasingly opposed the British government. Because of this reality, many of the pieces published in the Boston Gazette did more than just tell the story – they presented reports of events in the context of British efforts to deny Americans their rights. The spread of this outlook was essential if the colonies were going to break away from Great Britain and the Boston Gazette played an essential role in the dissemination of the growing attitude of opposition to the Royal Government.
Who did Johnny Tremain just go to work for?
